Living at home vs. living in a dorm As the old saying goes, ‘Home is where the heart is’. Pardon the emotional even nauseating adage, but it is in fact true, as most people would attest to that, but it does not mean that preference for living away from home, like in a dorm, removes affiliation from one’s home. Is it better to live at home or in a dorm? Living at home of course has countless benefits and comforts, but there comes a time when the dorm experiences have to be necessary for several reasons. Home for me is where life commences and where one grows and learns, but maturity is fortified in the dormitory, where the living, growing and learning continues. It is indeed comfortable and secure to stay at home, even beyond adolescence, but having the dorm experience can also teach one numerous lessons that the comforts and seclusion of the home cannot.One, home gives the individual comforts and security while dorm living can teach a person to be independent.
An individual usually transfer residence from one’s home to the dorm, as the transition period the complete independence. Dorm living would teach and train the person to be independent and to be capable of living away from the security of the home, where parents are usually there for guidance and tutelage. Since shifting to dormitories would mean eluding the shelters of home and parents, it would force a person to look after oneself and to survive in a whole new world. The process of adopting in a new environment would be a proper training for the person who would be able to cope in unfamiliar places and to subsist independently.
Second, home teaches a person social norms and values while the dormitory environment can enhance these values and social skills. As the growing up stage of the child takes place in the home environment, it therefore becomes vital for the initial socialization process. The person acquires basic values and skills from home. But as a person grows up, one needs to be exposed to more social interactions, which the dorm environment can provide.
Since living in the dorm would expose the person to different peoples and cultures, it would be an advantage for the development of one’s social skills and capacities. Also, as the home provides the individual with numerous lessons and prepares one for the real world, the dorm is in fact the real world that can start the application of the things learned at home.Lastly, homes can be a refuge of privacy and solitude and dormitories are venues of fun, socials, and dynamism. Home living has the benefit of privacy, as of course it is your home.
It is a place where one goes to at the end of the day to rest and relax from the pressures of school or work; it is a place where one can find and experience solitude. Although dormitories do have an extent of privacy and comfort too, it is primarily the place where one can experience the joys of adolescence and early maturity, like parties and socials. The dorm is the venue where people of the same age and group can interact and be dynamic and fun, where one can experience socialization that is missing in the private comforts of home. In addition, since the dorm has a dynamic environment, it is different from home, which is essentially secluded and private to those who live in it.
The advantages of home living are numerous, and the pros of dorm living are similarly notable. As the home provides initial growth and learning, the dorm experience can supplement these as maturity in the individual starts to set in. Whether the person prefers the dorm or home would ultimately depend on one’s priorities, whether it is comfort, security and privacy, or the experience of socials, independence, and interaction.
